Aircraft are known which are capable of hovering, i.e. remaining in flight at a constant height and zero speed.
Examples of such aircraft are helicopters and convertiplanes.
Aircraft capable of hovering are used to advantage for rescue or salvage purposes in emergency situations and/or in poorly accessible locations, such as rescuing shipwreck survivors.
The actual rescue operation is performed using a winch fitted to a fixed structure of the aircraft, and a rescue cradle suspended from a line operated by the winch.
More specifically, aircraft of the type described comprise a fuselage access opening formed in one side of the fuselage and closed by a hatch in normal flight conditions.
To perform the rescue operation, the hatch is moved into an open position clearing the access opening, and the rescue cradle is lowered and subsequently hoisted back up containing the casualties and/or items for rescue.
At this point, the rescue cradle is retrieved manually, or by means of special equipment, through the opening into the fuselage.
Because of the different attitudes assumed by the aircraft and sudden movements caused by bad weather conditions and the normal difficulties encountered in performing the rescue operation, the operator frequently has difficulty in grasping and retrieving the rescue cradle into the fuselage.
A need is felt within the industry to simplify operator engagement and retrieval of the rescue cradle into the fuselage.